Canada's western province of British Columbia declared a state of emergency on Friday as firefighters battled wildfires raging in the hills and mountains above the town of West Kelowna, forcing thousands of evacuations.
West Kelowna, a city of 36,000 people, is located some 300 kilometers east of Vancouver. Evacuations were also being carried out north of nearby Kelowna, a city with a population of about 150,000 that's also on Okanagan Lake.
The flames and smoke were visible from West Kelowna, and smoke filled the valley surrounding the lake. Earlier the airspace in the area had been closed to clear the way for water bombers.